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Saturn
"Beyond the stars I shall shine." ''- Saturn showcasing his might.'' Introduction The Saturn is the US Super Weapons General Alexander's super unit in Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour: Contra. The Saturn is a gigantic armored walking construction fortress that can build defensive structures like a regular dozer and fight any enemy unit by casting lightning bolts from its eye-shaped turret on its top. Overview Once, Alexander secretly researched on human consciousness aided with her occult arts to answer science's ultimate question: Do humans have a soul? ''After some time, she found a chilling result: Humans do have an invisible soul. When they die, the soul will separate from the body like someone waking up, only to find out that he/she actually woke up from his/her empty body before eventually choosing to rise up to the sky (perhaps to an alternate dimension) or wander around aimlessly. She then wondered whether if it was possible to "upload" someone's soul (or mind) into computer software in order to achieve digital immortality. So she randomly chose a convict from the infamous Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp (probably of French, Walloon-Belgian or Francophonic-Swiss origin according to the super unit's accent) and performed an occult ritual to "seduce" his soul out and trap him into an AI software: the convict was pronounced dead afterwards. The experiment was a success but then she started to think how would she use Human Consciousness as an AI. Then, she had an idea of a battle fortress capable of both destroying anything thrown at it and building the foundations of a military base. Hence, the Saturn was born. The Saturn is an AI-controlled mobile battle fortress with a tall metallic pyramid chassis and four separate "tracks" that act as its walking limbs powered by powerful hydraulic systems. The interior of the fortress consists of three parts: an AI computer, an assembling station and a Tesla generator. The AI computer is the brain of the vehicle that controls all of its actions (although it is rumoured to be a human consciousness-based AI computer). The second part is the assembling station which is the most important part: it has a giant compartment holding various autonomous manufacturing and construction machines that can be used to construct any of the general's defense structures, supply centres, ion power plants and even a whole command center. The third part is the Tesla generator. It generates lightning bolts with extremely high voltage strong enough to melt metal. It serves as its main weapon fired through an eye-shaped Tesla Orb on its top. The Saturn is best described as a mighty glacier of a unit, as the best quality of this walking fortress is its outstanding durability, capable of even withstanding nuclear blasts. But as a result of its heavy armor and odd choice for locomotion, it's the slowest unit in Contra, it can be outran by even an infantry. Besides its dire lack of mobility, the Saturn also has the weakness of not being customizable, it cannot detect stealth units and mines, thus it needs to be escorted by sentry drones constantly when engaging in enemies that are known to utilize stealth. The main weapon of the Saturn, the eye shaped Tesla orb mounted on top of its pyramid shaped body, is somewhat lackluster in terms of damage, but makes up for that with its versatility. It's one of the few weapons in Contra that can attack everything, from ground units, to aircraft, to mines and traps. It also deals continuous damage and will immediately retarget the next enemy when the enemy it's engaging is destroyed. Thus the Saturn is a lot less vulnerable to Zerg Rush tactics than it looks. What makes the Saturn truly special is the ability to construct base defences and basic structures like Barracks, Power Plants and Supply Centers. This makes the Saturn the perfect representation of General Alexander's "siege" strategy: slowly but surely expand her defensive line to cover up more and more territory until it literally surrounds the enemy base, trapping them within it. This also gives the general to start over a new base if her original base is obliterated by heavy firepower such as a Nuclear Storm strike or have all the dozers and the command center destroyed and that there are other structures outside the original base's perimeter, causing enemies to wonder why the enemy isn't defeated until the general rebuilds the entire base. Assessment Pros: * The second most durable super unit in Contra: has extreme health and armor. * Fairly decent range. * Its weapon, while far from the most powerful, is still quite effective, and can target air units. * Can build and repair defences and basic structures. * Can self repair. * Since it is very tall it can fire over most buildings. * Can rebuild a base in lucky cases,thus giving the player a second chance to defeat his/her enemy. Cons: * Slowest super unit in Contra. * Expensive super unit ($7000). * Long build time. * Once out in the open it is nigh impossible to retreat alive. * Cannot fire over cliffs. Quotes When Created * Saturn ready to shatter the stars. When Selected * Set me free! * The chains you gave me will be broken soon... * Beyond the stars I shall shine. * Do you want to play a game with me? * Wait until I get those chains off... * *singing* Ring Around the Rosie... * Em ot did sved artnoc tahw kool! (Look what Contra devs did to me! in reverse) When Ordered to Move * I really don't belong here... * One step to freedom! * This body is not made for walking... * Onwards. * This… thing… is so slow! * Maybe we should invest in a better engine. * *yawning* Are we there yet? * Full speed! Or not… Pff... When Ordered to Build a Structure * This will be true art! * Fine, I will build it... * Ok, ok, don't hurt me, I will do it! * Construction procedure engaged. When Construction is Complete * My work here is done. * Can I finally rest now? * This is truly my masterpiece! * My work here is done… Now what? When Ordered to Repair a Structure * Fix it yourself next time! * Who did that? He will pay... * Oh, they did harm you, didn't they? * Let's erase the stain, shall we? When Ordered to Attack * Share my suffering! * As you order. * Die, you maggot! * Oh yeah… I will be gentle... * I am terribly sorry! * Why are you ordering such cruel things? * No, I don't want to do it... No, no, NO! * It's nothing comparing to what I will do to you! * Let there be light! *laughs* Trivia * Saturn (or Kronos) is named after the Roman/Greek God of time. He used to rule as King of Gods until his son, Jupiter/Zeus, ousted him from the throne and imprisoned him in the Tartarus, a part of Hell where those who committed serious crimes or dared to challenge the gods are condemned to an eternal torment. * Saturn's main weapon was originally a particle beam cannon, much like the SDI Cannon, it can fire on inbound superweapon missiles or artillery shells, albeit less effective. * According to the lore intended for this character, General Alexander performed an occult ritual on an unknown individual (probably a convict) and trapped his soul inside the machine to make him an obedient servant. This resulted in the trapped soul suffering from a personality disorder, hence the different behaviours or emotional states along with different voice effects displayed by the Saturn in its quotes. * "Wait until I get those chains off" is a reference to the Soviet Flak Trooper in ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. * "Ok ok, don't hurt me, I will do it!" might be a reference to the Goblin Worker in the game Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring. * The quote "It's nothing comparing to what I will do to you!" might be addressed as a threat to the player ordering it to attack the enemy. * One of its quotes is reversed. It says: "Look what Contra devs did to me!" Gallery waterf.jpg|Why the hell did you install Apple Map?! Category:USA Arsenals Category:USA Vehicles Category:Super Unit Category:Construction Units